1923 Cleveland School Fire was a Catalyst for School Fire Drills

Dr. Tom Horton

When our team was researching fire drills, we wanted to include facts about when and why school fire drills started in America. It was Dr. Tom Horton's feature, "1923 School Fire Gave us Fire Codes," published in the Moultrie News that told the story of how the tragedy at the Cleveland School in Camden, South Carolina, brought so much attention to school fires and became a catalyst for developing school fire drills and the creation of school fire prevention.

Dr. Horton explained that it was a simple set of circumstances that caused the fire. It was a Thursday evening and the upstairs auditorium was packed with nearly 300 people who came to see the play, "Topsy-Turvy." A lantern fell off a wall in the school auditorium and caught the stage curtain on fire and on that day 76 lost their lives As the news spread, communities were motivated to take action to improve school safety.

The Cleveland School (before the fire) circa 1920's

Dr. Horton's first heard about the tragedy from his father, “I heard about the Cleveland School fire years ago from my father. He had known people who lost loved ones there. Dad told me that there was even a song on the radio that memorialized the fire. Once he and I drove over to the fire site where today there is a bronze historical marker. We went by the nearby church cemetery where the dead are buried in a common grave. “

Dr. Horton was so touched by the story and events that he decided to write about the tragedy He also explained that his father said a song was written about the school fire by the Dixon Brothers (Dorsay Dixon and Howard Dixon) in 1936.

﻿﻿Dr. Horton’s Reflections about Fire Drills and Leadership﻿﻿"As I read Ada's story, what resonated with me was the fireman's adage that no two fires are alike. None of us can predict what will be the circumstances of the emergency we will be faced with. Be that as it may, a common core, a universal fire drill gives each of us a framework with which we can structure our own response in a critical situation. Having a universally understood set of responses would help eliminate panic and indecision as well as develop self-confidence in assisting others in a time of emergency.

"Today when I hear teachers complain about the interruption of a fire drill; I think of the Cleveland Fire and of Ada’s story of preparedness. Ada Dolch had no way of knowing how all those drills prepared her and her staff to face the events of 9/11. I am thankful that we have come such a long way since 1923 and that so many principals and teachers are willing to invest the time to participate in drills and exercises to help keep our children be safe."

“Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”~ Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa